KHARON

Thanatology Review

Electronic Journal

Content

Volume 26

Number 3 · 2022

Original article


 GÁBOR VONA
GÁBOR VONA

PhD hallgató

vona.gabor@phd.semmelweis.hu

From the primate with death anxiety to the culture-creating man

Abstract · Greenberg, Pyszczynski and Solomon's first, and now classic, paper was published in 1986, and essentially marks the beginning of the history of Terror Management Theory (TMT). In the nearly 40 years since the first article was published, a total of 1400 TMT studies have been carried out by dedicated TMT researchers in 26 countries around the world. The theory is based on the premise that man, like all living beings, has the fundamental goal of self-preservation, however, only our species alone is aware of its own impermanence, which fills it with terror. Because the permanent fear of death is impossible to live with, our species has created a threefold coping system to reduce it: identifying with different cultural worldviews, building self-esteem and establishing meaningful relationships with other people. In the following paper, we will first review the history of the theory from its beginnings, examine its reception in Hungary, and then present the theoretical foundations, methodology and wide-ranging research of TMT. We will also briefly discuss developments in the field of pandemics, and conclude with a discussion of both criticisms of the theory and alternative models.

DR. GEORGINA MUCSI
DR. GEORGINA MUCSI

PhD, szociális munkás, gyászkísérő, gyászcsoport vezető, egyetemi adjunktus

mucsi.georgina@pte.hu

The change in the concept of death, the impact of the pandemic on this and its consequences in the mourning process

Abstract · In my paper I explore the change in the concept of death in the light of the relevant literature presenting the key trends that have played a role in this process. After describing Philippe Ariès’s (1977) attitudes toward death I review the trends of the 20th and 21st centuries that contributed most markedly to today’s death concept. The pandemic has seriously affected our concept of death, with hospital closures creating a new situation, with many people dying alone and being isolated without saying goodbye. This situation has also affected the mourning process of individuals, families, communities and the health care personnel, often leading to more complicated grief.

 DÓRA MONOSTORI
DÓRA MONOSTORI

doktorandusz, mesteroktató

monostoridori@gmail.com

DR. EDINA DOMBI
DR. EDINA DOMBI

PhD alkalmazott egészségpszichológiai szakpszichológus, egyetemi adjunktus

edinadombi@jgypk.u-szeged.hu

DR. ANDRÁS ZELENA
DR. ANDRÁS ZELENA

PhD egyetemi docens

dr.zelenaa@gmail.com

Ways of supporting parents in pre- and perinatal loss during the pandemic period

Abstract · Life events affecting the functioning of a family are also in the focus of family policy efforts, since the aim is to have a joyful life experience when having a child, even if it takes place across crises and traumas. Loss in the pre- and perinatal period is a negative life event that affects the functioning of the family as a whole, its long-term effects may even lead to psychopathological consequences. As support, a wide range of different mourning therapies are available nowadays. The importance of mourning therapeutic work is becoming a significant topic in the field of perinatal sciences. Various supportive options are available for families affected by the loss, within the institutional framework and also in private practice. In this article we present the path of recovery from pre- and perinatal grief, highlighting various therapeutically valuable aspects of the group mourning therapeutic models in times of pandemic.